Lawrence Lee - A celebration

Lawrence Lee FMGP  (1909 – 2011) was one of the most distinguished stained glass artists of the 20th century. It is not surprising therefore that a number of contributors chose to include one of his windows in their selections. But there is much more to say and to celebrate about this wonderful artist.

A Theme has therefore been dedicated to the work of Lawrence Lee. The windows within the Theme have been chosen in conjunction with his son, Stephen Lee,  to highlight some of his father’s best work.

As an introduction, stained glass artist, Philippa Martin, who is one of Lawrence Lee’s former assistants, has written two papers. The first covers his life and the second his most famous achievement, masterminding the ten nave windows of Coventry Cathedral.

Lawrence Lee by Philippa Martin

Lawrence Lee and Coventry Cathedral by Philippa Martin

In selecting the windows for this theme, Stephen Lee would have liked to have included his father’s Tradescant window for the Garden Museum. However, since its installation the view of the window has been largely obscured by new structures and as a result it did not seem appropriate to include the window as a main entry. However, it was a favourite of Lawrence Lee and a good example of his ‘secular’ glass, so details have been included in the PDF below.

Lawrence Lee's Tradescant window at the Garden Museum

A full list of the windows by Lawrence Lee that have been highlighted both in this theme and by other contributors can be found on his Artist’s page.